Package sealing machine



April 14, 1953 Filed Jan. 12, 1951 J. R. FLANAGAN PACKAGE SEALING MACHINE 2 SHEETS--SHEET l INVENTOR Jwes/Zl'lmmqymm ATTORNEYS 5:5 INVENTOR Jm ms P. lhzz uya/m ATTORNEYS 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 J. R. FLANAGAN PACKAGE SEALING MACHINE April 14, 1953 Flled Jan 12, 1951 Patented Apr. 14, 1953 PACKAGE SEALING MACHINE James Robert Flanagan, Westville Grove, N. J., assignor to Stephen F. Whitman & Son, Inc., Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application J anuary 12, 1951, Serial No. 205,709

11 Claims. 1

This invention relates to machines for sealing packages, and more particularly to such machines for applying one or more strips of adhesive, or gummed paper at the edges of cartons.

For some time it has been the practice to apply short strips of adhesive across the bottom and up the side of boxes, or cartons, having lids with side portions substantially the depth of the sides of the box, to prevent opening the box without breaking or removing the seals. This has generally been done by placing a strip on each side of the box. In the past, it has been necessary to place the strips on the boxes by hand, or to manually push the boxes across a tape-applying device mounted in a work table. In either event, it has required the services of one or more operators to seal the boxes as they came off of the packing belt.

The object of the present invention is to provide a machine which will automaticallyseal the boxes as they come from the packing belt, without manual aid, so that part time service of an operator to renew rolls of adhesive is all that is required.

A more specific object of the invention is to Figure l is a side elevation of a machine embodying the principles of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a top plan view thereof; a

Figure 3 is a vertical transverse section taken on the line 33 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary vertical transverse section taken on the line 44 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a partial horizontal section taken on the line 55 of Figure 1; and,

Figure 6 is a vertical transverse section taken on the line 66 of Figure 1. v

The machine comprises a base frame I and an upper frame '2. The base frame is formed by legs 3 and the horizontal connecting members 4. The upper frame rests upon the lower The table 2 belt of a preceding machine. As each box is transferred to the table it will push the preceding one ahead of it. In this way the boxes will be moved across the table step by step and be delivered onto a receiving table II].

During their travel along the table 8, the boxes are maintained in precise alignment. This is accomplished by means of guide rails H and I2. Rails .Il extend the full length of the upper frame, and are held in posiiton by studs which are connected to the legs 5 of the frame. Rails H are positioned above the surface of table 8 a suificient distance to contact the sides of boxes moving along the table. They are spaced apart just the width of the boxes so that the boxes will be held against lateral movement. In order to prevent the boxes from lifting under the action of the tape applicators, as will be described, the rails [2 are positioned above the path of the boxes. Rails l2 are spaced from the table a distance just slightly greater than the height of the boxes. These rails, also, are supported from the legs 5 by means of studs.

The tape is applied to the boxes at two stations, a strip being applied to one side near the entrance to the machine, and a strip placed upon the other side near the outlet end of the machine. As the tape applying mechanism at the two stations is substantially identical, only one will be described.

The tape applicator may be of any conventional type, such as the applicator disclosed in U. S. Patent No. 2,404,317, issued July 16, 1946, for example. This applicator I3, is mounted upon a carriage I4, provided with rollers l5. A track I6 is positioned beneath the table, and may be composed of two spaced channel member arranged with their open sides facing one another. The track members will be spaced to receive the rollers l5, to permit the applicator carriage to move transversely of the machine. The tracks are so positioned that when the applicator moves inward, its tape applying arm I! will strike the side of a box on the table above its bottom edge.

The applicator carriage is connected to a horizontally positioned rack bar I8 which rides upon a wide pinion I9 journaled in brackets attached to the lower frame of the machine. A vertical rack bar 20, slidable in bearings i l-connected to the frame, also engages the pinion l 9. Rack bar 2| may be reciprocated in any desired manner, and is shown as having a pitman 22 connected to its lower end. The pitman may be operated by a crank shaft 23, which may be driven from any suitable source, and may be connected to, and synchronized with, a preceding machine in order to secure the proper timed operation necessary to place the sealing tape in a, more or less pr'ecise position upon each box. As the two applicators are located'upon opposite sides of the machine, the throws 24 of crank 28 are shown arranged 180 apart, so that both applicators will move inwardly at the same time.

In operation, the boxes are fed onto table 8 by belt 9 at a predetermined speed. As each box arrives at the table it will push the pr in xes ahead of it along the table. In this manner, the table will become filled with boxes, and as each succeeding box arrives the boxes upon the table will be moved exactly one box length. The applicator stations are so arranged that during the interval of pause between box movements a box will be substantially centered at each station. The applicator motion is timed to move the applicators into contact with the boxes during this pause. As the applicators move inwardly, their arms H with a section of tape positioned on them will contact the sides of the respective boxes, and apply the tape to the sides. Continued movement of the carriages will cause the arms I! to swing backward, following the contour of the box to press the tape around the bottom edge of the box and for a short distance across the bottom. The action of these arms and the cutting of the tape into lengths is described in Patent No. 2,404,317. The reciprocating motion of rack bars 20 will then cause a reverse movement of pinions l9, and a consequent reverse movement of rack bars IE to mov the applicators outward. Another box will then move onto the table from belt 9 and move the boxes on the table a distance of one box length to position the next box to be sealed. When the applicators are applying the tape to the sides of the boxes, guide rails II will hold the boxes against lateral movement, and as the applicator arms sweep under the bottoms of the boxes guides l2 will prevent the boxes from lifting. Table 8 is appreciably narrower than the boxes, to afford free access to the edge portions of the boxes in applying the tape.

While in the above one practical embodiment of the invention has been disclosed, it will be understood that this is by way of example only, and that changes may be made from the precise structure shown and described within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a machine for applying sealing tape to boxes, a frame, a table supported by the frame along which boxes to be sealed may be moved, tape applicators transversely movable with respect to the path of travel of the boxes, and means to impart a reciprocating motion to said applicators.

2. In a machine for applying sealing tape to boxes as claimed in claim 1, guides to prevent lateral and vertical movement of the boxes while being sealed.

3. In a machine for applying sealing tape to boxes as claimed in claim 1, tracks to guide the movement of said tape applicators, and guides to prevent lateral and vertical movement of the boxes while being sealed.

4. In a machine for applying sealing tape to boxes as claimed in claim 1, said means to impart a reciprocating movement to said tape applicators comprising, a rack connected to each applicator, a wide pinion in mesh with said rack, and a second rack bar in mesh with said pinion.

5. In a machine for applying sealing tape to boxes, 2. frame, a table supported by the frame along which boxes to be sealed may be moved, a tape applicator carrying a roll of gummed tape and having means for feeding predetermined lengths of said tape positioned near one end of said table and to one side thereof, a second tape applicator carrying a roll of gummed tape and having means for feeding predetermined lengths of said tape positioned near the opposite end of said table and on the opposite side thereof, said tape applicators being transversely movable with respect to the path of movement of said boxes, and means to impart a reciprocating movement to said applicators.

6. In a machine for applying sealing tape to boxes as claimed in claim 5, guide rails extending the length of said table to prevent lateral and vertical movement of said boxes while being sealed.

7. In a machine for applying sealing tape to boxes as claimed in claim 5, tracks supported by said frame to guide the movement of said tape applicators, and guide rails extending the length of said table to prevent lateral and vertical movement of said boxes while being sealed.

8. In a machine for applying sealing tape to boxes as claimed in claim 5, said means to impart a reciprocating movement to said tape applicators comprising, a rack connected to each of said applicators, a wide pinion for each rack, each pinion in mesh with its respective rack, and a second rack in mesh with said pinion.

9. In a machine for applying sealing tape to boxes, a frame, a table supported by the frame along which boxes to be sealed may be moved, a track transversely of said table near one end and to one side thereof, a second track transverely of said table near the opposite end and upon the opposite side thereof, tape applicators mounted for movement upon said tracks, a rack connected to each of said applicators, a wide pinion for each rack, each pinion in mesh with its respective rack, a second rack in mesh with each pinion, means to impart a reciprocating movement to each of said second racks, and guide rails extending the length of said table to prevent lateral and vertical movement of said boxes while being sealed.

10. In a machine for applying tape to boxes, a frame, a table supported by the frame along which boxes to be sealed may be moved, guide tracks mounted horizontally beneath and to one side of the table perpendicular to the path of movement of the boxes on the table, a tape applicator carrying a roll of gummed tape and having means for feeding predetermined lengths of said tape movable along said guide tracks, and means to impart a reciprocating movement to said tape applicator.

11. In a machine for applying tape to boxes as claimed in claim 10, said tape applicator having a movable tape-applying arm to contact the side of a box and sweep across the bottom thereof as the applicator is moved inwardly along the guide tracks.

JAMES ROBERT FLANAGAN.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Great Britain Feb. 15, 1926 

